Whip.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELANOHTHON O. FELKER, OF OHICORA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WHIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,397, dated July 1,1902.

Application filed July 1,1901. Serial No. 66,677- (No med al.)

To all whom, it 72mg concern:

Be it known that I, MELANoHTHoN O. FEL- KER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicora, in the county of Butler and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWhips, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to whips, and more particularly to that class ofwhips known as carriage or buggy whips, and has for its object toprovide a simple and inexpensive construction whereby such whips .may begiven the properbulk and weight at the handle.

To these ends myinvention consists in certain novel features, which Iwill now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in theclaim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a whip in process ofconstruction inaccordance with my invention, the first stage ofconstruction being completed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the whipin a more advanced stage of completion ready to receive the cover. Fig.3 is a View of the completed or covered whip, and Fig. 4 is a detailsectional View taken on the line 00 a; of Fig. 3 and on an enlargedscale.

Whips of the character to which my invention relates have heretoforebeen constructed of reed or ratan, the butt being composed of a core ofrawhide, whalebone, or ratan built up by having strips of the ratanglued around said core and then subsequently turned down to shape. Thesewhips, which are known as stocked whips, are comparatively expensiveboth as to time and labor and as to inaterial. In order to give the whipthe desired weight at the butt or handle, so as to cause it to balanceproperly, and at the same time give the butt or handle sufficient bulkto provide a proper hand-grasp, I propose to adopt the constructionshown in the accompanying drawings. In this construction the body of thewhip is composed of--a reed or ratan 1, and around the butt of the whipis bent or swaged a piece of sheet metal 2, cylindric in form. I preferto apply this cylindric covering of steel by first bending up a piece offlat sheet-steel into V shape and then placing the butt of the reedwithin the trough thus formed and bending or swagin g the sheet-steelaround the reed until it assumes a cylindrical form, closely embracingthe butt of the reed and holding itself in position by frictionalcontact. This bending or swaging is preferably performed by an apparatuswhich I have devised for that purpose. After the steel tube has beensecured to the butt of the reed the butt is wrapped at the tube andbeyond the same toward the tip with wrappings 3 of some flexiblematerial, suchv as cloth or paper, or both, the wrappings beingpreferably spiral in arrangement and diminishing in thickness toward thetip. Sufficient of these wrappings are applied to give the butt of thewhip the desired bulk or thickness, tapering away toward the tip of thewhip. These wrappings may be secured by'glue or in any other suitablemanner. Thebody of the whip is then completed by means of a suitablecovering 4 of any desired construction, the whip being of course alsoprovided with a suitable lash.

I have found by experience that my proposed construction provides awhip-body having the necessary weight and bulk at the butt or handle endat a very much reduced cost of time, labor, and material, while theresulting structure is for all general purposes as satisfactory as themore costly stocked whip heretofore manufactured at greater expense.

I do not wishto be understood as limiting myself to the precise detailsof construction hereinbefore set forth, as these details may obviouslybe varied without departing from the principle of. my invention.

I am aware that it has been proposed here'- tofore to load the butt of awhip by gluing thereon a two-part metallic loading-shell andsubsequently covering the same. I am also aware that it has beenproposed to accomplish the same end by windingspirally around the buttof the whip a stri'pof. lead. I am also aware that it has beenproposed-to interpose between the covering and 'coreor body of the whipa moisture-proof lining of tin-foil or the like. I therefore make noclaim to ICC What I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is described. 10

A whip comprising abody portion of reed, In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature ratan, or thelike, atube of sheet metal swaged in presence oftwo witnesses. or bent around the butt or handle portion of MELANGHTHONO. FELKER. the body and held in place thereon by friel/Vitnessesz tube,and an outer covering, substantially as tional contact, a Wrapping offlexible mate- 1 H. J. MEYERS, rial, such as cloth or paper, inclosingsaid I G. FLEEGER.

